The preferences of transport mode of certain travelers in the age of autonomous vehicle

Abstract

Individuals choose transport modes to travel based on their preferences and journey characteristics. The availability of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on the market will affect the traditional mode choice models. In this regard, this research studies three transport modes: conventional car, privately-owned autonomous vehicle (PAV), and shared autonomous vehicle (SAV). The potential changes in transport mode choice are evaluated, where the impact of changes of some sociodemographic and travel variables on choices are estimated. A discrete choice modeling approach is applied in this study to develop a transport choice model. A stated preference (SP) approach is used, where 306 answers are collected in Hungary. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) is designed to collect the choices of people. Multinomial Logit (MNL) model is applied to the data to develop a transport mode choice model, where differentiations between some parameters across transport modes are presented. People are varied in their willingness to use a transport mode across groups, such as the income, the family size, and the current transport mode. The results demonstrate that people are more likely to use a conventional car than PAV, while they are more likely to use PAV than SAV. The output of this study can be used to support policy implications in the AV era.